2013 Top Advisor Rankings: Maryland

Ranked #1: David Zier ♦ At age 13, Zier bought his first stock, Becker Industries, on his dad's advice--and promptly lost $1,000. That was half of the $2,000 he had saved from a summer of lawn-mowing. Rather than feel burned by the experience, he made it his business to learn a lot more about investing. Ever since, says 42-year-old Zier, "I have just been passionate about the markets." He joined Convergent in 1998 as one of its first employees, and became chief executive last year. Like any value investor, Zier sees opportunity in others' fears. Today, that means emerging markets, where he has been increasing allocations. "We believe China, Brazil, and Mexico are undervalued," he says, "and it's people's concerns about this global slowdown that has created the opportunity." With interest rates low, Zier also likes commodities, gold, and mortgages--and is steering clear of areas where investors have flocked in search of higher yields, like REITs, MLPs, and high-yield debt. --AMY FELDMAN